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Top 10 Pet-Friendly Cities In The U.S. Is Yours Among Them?

Posted by Rebecca West on October 04, 2017

The best U.S. cities for pampering pets

There are nearly 100 million dogs and 100 million cats kept as pets here in the United States. We love our animals, and it shows in the amount of money we spend, the attention we lavish and the pains we take to accommodate them. Thanks to a recent survey looking into which large cities were the most conducive to pet ownership out of the 100 that were investigated for things like quality of life and cost of living, a surprising picture has emerged. Check out who made the grade below and why.

Top 10 Most Pet-Friendly Cities in America

With the exception of Cincinnati, most of these large cities have warm, sunny climates in common. The criteria they met for being considered the best was arrived at through the use of 21 variables for pet friendliness. They included available housing for purchase or rent with yards, veterinary costs, number of dog parks, pet-friendly restaurants and local laws regarding pet protection.

1. Scottsdale, Az

2. Phoenix, AZ

3. Tampa, FL

4. San Diego, CA

5. Orlando, FL

6. Birmingham, AL

7. Austin, TX

8. Cincinnati, OH

9. Atlanta, GA

10. Las Vegas, NV

Top 10 Least Pet-Friendly Cities in America

The list of cities that made this list does not necessarily mean they are bad places to live with pets or that pets are not welcome. They just have fewer amenities and higher costs associated with them when it comes to pets. While a few of them are not all that surprising, considering their isolation, there are others that might just floor you at their inclusion.

100. Newark, NJ

99. Baltimore, MD

98. Honolulu, HI

97. New York, NY

96. Boston, MA

95. Santa Ana, CA

94. Buffalo, NY

93. Philadelphia, PA

92. Anchorage, AK

91. Charlotte, NC

Surprise, Surprise!

A lot of people were surprised to see New York City make the bottom of the barrel list, when so many NYC dwellers are not only pet owners, but pet owners who spend lavish sums of money on their pampered pets and take them with them everywhere. Apparently, the high cost of veterinary care and lack of PF places helped drag it down considerably.

For more information on the survey, check out WalletHub for all the details.